School Idol Festival: Origins
by ShinAyasaki
Summary: Honoka has an idea that turns into an international sensation.


Throughout history, humans have always had _ideas._ No, not ideas as in the conceptualized thoughts of rational individuals. _Ideas_ as in those thoughts one has when on the boundary of waking, on the cusp of consciousness; those thoughts that are usually insane, illogical, and utterly inexplicable. These thoughts are often dismissed, put out of mind for simply being impossible. But sometimes, when one latches onto these _ideas_ , they turn out well anyways.

Honoka just so happened to have one of these ideas, and she couldn't wait to tell her friends.

* * *

"What," deadpanned Umi as she and Kotori looked at the excitable ginger with surprise and confusion.

"Let's make a mobile game!" repeated Honoka sunnily.

Umi sighed. "Yeah, that's what I thought you said," she muttered under her breath. "Honoka," she continued at a normal volume, "Why do you want to make a mobile game?"

"Because it's a great way to get a resume boost and because it'll be fun!" Honoka reached into her bag and pulled out a crumpled piece of paper. "Here! I've already got the basic gist of it! What do you think?"

Umi and Kotori exchanged glances of mild concern before Kotori took the paper. As soon as Umi laid eyes on its contents, an anger mark appeared on the back of her head. "Honoka! This page is filled with nothing but meaningless scribbles! Nothing is legible!"

"Eh? Oh, I guess I did spill some juice on it…" considered Honoka unhelpfully, tapping her chin in thought.

Umi sighed in exasperation. "Honoka, I understand you're always the one who drags me and Kotori into anything and everything, but this is just too ridiculous."

"Actually," interjected Kotori, "The paper was upside down." Umi grumbled while Honoka beamed. "Um, but it's still barely legible. And this is actually written on last week's homework."

"You said you lost that homework!" snapped Umi. Honoka looked away whistling while Umi glared at her reproachfully.

Umi sighed and looked over Honoka's ideas.

"How would we even handle all the work that comes with making a game anyway?"

"Simple!" beamed Honoka. "I'm lead designer of characters, story, and gameplay, Kotori can be responsible for art, and you can be our programmer!"

"You want one person to handle programming an entire game?! I thought you wanted this done before we graduated high school!"

"It's only in the beginning! We can get more help later, this will just be for proof of concept!"

"Well I for one think it's a great idea!" encouraged Kotori with a smile.

"Really?!" Honoka spent the next several seconds staring at the brunette with stars in her eyes, not saying anything.

Umi sighed. "Oh very well... I suppose someone needs to make sure you two don't bite off more than you can chew."

"Aw, don't be like that Umi," said Honoka. "How hard could it be?"

Umi facepalmed. Why did Honoka have to tempt fate right off the bat?

* * *

"Please! We need music for our rhythm game and you're the only one who knows how to play an instrument that's not the triangle!" begged Honoka.

"Hmph. What do I get out of this?" asked Maki derisively.

"…Friends?"

"Done. Let's do this!"

' _That was both really easy and really sad…_ ' thought Honoka with a sweatdrop.

* * *

On her way home one day, Kotori came across a cardboard box with a cat-like girl standing inside. The girl held up a sign that originally said 'Will Program for Food', but 'Food' had been crossed out and replaced with 'Ramen'. Kotori blinked. "Excuse me," she said, "But do you know anything about programming mobile games?"

"Sure do!" affirmed Rin cheerfully.

"Hmm…"

* * *

"Somebody save me!" cried Hanayo.

"Huh?! What's going on?!" cried Umi as Rin burst into their cramped office with a painting under her arm and another girl in tow.

"Hey Umi! I found this girl outside painting! Check it out!" exclaimed Rin, slamming the painting in front of her fellow programmer.

Umi blinked. "It does look very nice," she said, considering. She looked to Hanayo. "Excuse me, would you be interested in doing art in a professional capacity?"

* * *

"You seek to publish your own mobile game?!" exclaimed Nico, insulted. "Have you even played the classics?! Crash of Clams? Furious Avians? Vegetable Ninja?"

"Um… I've heard of that first one," admitted Honoka.

"You do not honor the greats! And that is why your commercial endeavor must be halted!" declared Nico, materializing a sledgehammer out of nowhere. She prepared to strike down and destroy the nearest computer which just so happened to be running MusicMaker.

"Hey!" protested Maki as she stood, glaring down at the girl as she caught the sledgehammer mid-swing. "What do you think you're doing, you rude midget?!"

"Midget?! Excuse me?!" said Nico.

"You heard me," said Maki, throwing the sledgehammer back from whence it came.

"Well excuse me princess! We can't all be giant brutes like you!"

"Hmm? What was that? I'm afraid I can't hear the insignificant opinions of ants and the like."

"Insects and ants bite, you know!"

"Is that a threat or a promise?"

The two glared at each other, faces red in aggravation and antipathy.

Then they hugged in equal parts embarrassment and attraction, and NicoMaki became a thing.

"Hey!" shouted Umi, looking up from her computer, "Stop hugging and get back to work!"

"But I don't work here!" protested Nico, releasing the redhead.

"Do you want to?" asked Honoka.

* * *

"Yes, it was I who released your idea on Jumpstarter!" declared Eli dramatically. "I wanted you all to see how terrible public reception would be, but alas, people actually enjoy your pittance of a game!"

"It's okay," said Honoka, "We forgive you."

"Excuse me?!" snapped Umi, "Speak for yourself!"

"But Umi! Look at all the publicity and donations she's gotten us!" defended Honoka.

"Yeah, and look at all these ridiculous stretch goals we now have to fulfill!" Umi shot back. Eli had the grace to look away in shame as Umi continued.

"Number 1: Add vocals to current musical tracks. Admittedly, that one is fine because we're doing that anyway."

She continued. "Number 2: Create full length songs for each of those song tracks and release them on physical hard copies. Number 3: Implement multiplayer with lobby matchmaking. Number 4: Create a _second team of nine new girls_! And number 5, which thankfully has not been met and I am cancelling right now, getting an anime adaptation!"

"That's a great idea!" shouted Honoka, eyes gleaming with excitement. She wilted slightly when Umi shot her a vicious glare.

"And that's not even mentioning these weekly radio dramas and monthly niconamas, these various polls to somehow incorporate audience feedback, and this online raffle where a few lucky and generous patrons will get to have their voices featured in game!"

Eli coughed. "Yeah… I may have made several promises on your behalf that you may not be able to deliver on…"

"You're going to help us accomplish all these... _right?!_ "

"Umi," spoke Honoka in a soothing tone, "Even if she's made this a lot harder for us, it doesn't mean we can force her into anything."

"No, I'll help," interjected Eli before Umi could let out another retort. "It's the right thing to do."

"Hmph. Then it looks like the office has a new gopher."

Suddenly, a head popped out from behind a corner. "EXCUSE ME?!" exclaimed Nico, "You're _replacing_ me?!"

"Not at all," replied Umi calmly. "In fact, you've just gained a subordinate." Nico's face lit up and the twin-tailed girl squealed in girlish delight before running off to tell Maki the good news.

Eli sighed. "What ever happened to my image of being a calm and collected ice queen?"

"Umi took a sledgehammer to it," supplied Honoka helpfully.

* * *

"Knock knock~!" sang Nozomi as she rapped at the office door.

"Rent's not due for another week," responded Umi automatically, much to Nozomi's amusement.

"Nozomi!" called out Honoka as she sprang up and ran over from her desk, "How can we help you?"

The purple-haired woman simply hummed as she glanced around the small space, delighted at the amount of progress the team seemed to be making. "I'd like to work with you all as a fellow employee."

"What?!" exclaimed Honoka, Umi, Kotori, Rin, Hanayo, Maki, and Nico as the latter six poked their heads out from whatever they were doing.

"Why?" asked Nico.

"Because your newest employee is sexy and I want to get to know her better," replied the landlady nonchalantly.

Umi frowned. "We're here to make games, not relationships!"

"I know when to be professional," said Nozomi with her characteristically mysterious smile. "Just give me a chance..."

Later...

"I've got everyone's coffee!" called Eli as she entered, balancing eight drinks in two hands.

Everyone gave a small cheer as they crowded her, uttering their thanks as the drinks disappeared one by one, until there were none left.

"Hey! Where's mine?"

"Was this meant for you, Elicchi?" asked Nozomi mischievously. "My, how careless of me. I hope you don't mind indirect kisses," she said, handing it back to the blonde.

"Who's this?" asked Eli, idly wondering if that phone number had always been on her cup.

"Our new coworker," replied Maki.

"Does this mean I'm no longer at the bottom of the pecking order?!"

"No it does not," said Umi sternly. "Nozomi is your superior as well."

"Hear that Elicchi? I get to be on top~!"

* * *

"Wow..." said Honoka as she looked over their profit margin.

"Yes," agreed Umi, "Wow indeed."

Between them, Kotori just smiled.

It had been some months since the team had been finalized, and progress had advanced rapidly. They'd gone from alpha to beta to release in seemingly no time at all, and soon enough, the brainchild of JLab and Sushiroad was raking in money hand over fist.

Now the three of them could only stare as their bank account grew and grew. In real time.

"So... about those stretch goals?" asked Honoka, giving inquiring looks to Umi and Kotori.

"Shall we fulfill the promises we made to our fans?" asked Kotori, blinking innocently at Umi.

Whatever resolve Umi might have had crumbled with the adoring eyes of her best friends, and she sighed softly. "Alright, alright. The two of you can start casting calls for a new team and I'll start calling anime studios. Start tomorrow morning?"

"Okay!" chorused Honoka and Kotori.

And the rest is history.


End file.
